Guild Wars 2 player reaches level cap before game even launches

ArenaNet accuses level 80 player of exploiting game rules, apologises when realises he hasn't.

What did you decide to do over the bank holiday weekend? Head south for a beach holiday? Play Sleeping Dogs? Chase the Essex lion?

Well, one online gamer decided to become the first player to hit Guild Wars 2's level cap - all before the game had even officially launched.

Surfeuze, a member of French guild War Legend, hit the level 80 cap yesterday during Guild Wars 2's head-start weekend, where players who pre-purchased the game were given access to the servers prior to the game going on sale today.

According to a member of War Legend - via MMOCulture - Surfeuze played "normally" for the first 60 levels, before relying on "crafting" to grind out the final 20.

ArenaNet's president Mike O'Brien confirmed the achievement, revealing that it took Surfeuze 32 hours to reach the level cap, but not before accusing the player of using exploits to level up faster.

"Level 80 is always something to celebrate," O'Brien said on Reddit, "but be aware that this was not through normal leveling. A few users have made us aware of unusual ways to level very fast. We're fixing these issues as I type."

After investigation, O'Brien apologised, saying that he "mistakenly thought" he was a player who had used a "lucrative" technique ArenaNet was in the process of fixing.

"Surfeuze played normal PvE content to level 60, although obviously racing past everything he could, and then leveled from 60 to 80 through crafting," O'Brien continued. "His secret weapon was his strong team supplying him with crafting materials. That allowed him to jump ahead of everyone else in those last 20 levels.

"So congratulations to Surfeuze, legitimately the first player to reach level 80."